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Bacon 2017

Hedgelj

Senior Member
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Mohicanish
Starting the process for my homemade bacon.

2 bellies from the pig we had butchered this fall thawing in my 65 quart pelican cooler in cool water.

Tomorrow i pick up two more bellies from the butcher.

The plan is
1 Family recipe
2 honey cure
1 maple & brown sugar cure

This will be for my family and my in laws and brother in law and a little to share with others.

 
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Beentown

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Sunbury, OH
Sweet, keep this updated Doug.

I am doing 40 pounds of bacon next month. I will do a step by step. It is really simple.

One thing I do different is using Tenderquick instead of Prague powder (pink salt).

 

Hedgelj

Senior Member
Supporting Member
7,118
178
Mohicanish
Sweet, keep this updated Doug.

I am doing 40 pounds of bacon next month. I will do a step by step. It is really simple.

One thing I do different is using Tenderquick instead of Prague powder (pink salt).
So tender quick has both nitrates and nitrites as preservative agents.

Prague powder #1 is only nitrite and #2 is only nitrate.

Depending on the type of cure, smoking method and consuming plan depends on which is required for food safety.

Rytek Kutas's book on sausage making has some great chapters on this with the science.

I only use prague powder#1 on my bacon. I use #2 on other projects.

Use of tender quick isn't a bad choice, just not my choice.


 

Hedgelj

Senior Member
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Mohicanish
Tonight i measured my smoker racks and had to cut each of my pork bellies in half to fit.



Then i seasoned each belly according to the recipe. I did two maple and brown sugar and two honey.

I put each belly in a vacuum bag for ease of cleanup afterwards.


Then a layer of ice in the 65qt pelican and all the bellies went in.


I will flip them every day for the next seven days and monitor the ice situation and add ice as necessary.

Somewhere around 40lbs give our take 5.
 
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Hedgelj

Senior Member
Supporting Member
7,118
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Mohicanish

All 4 bellies dying after the cure was washed off.

Then into hickory smoke for a few hours




Then cooled off and brought inside for slicing and packaging.



 

Hedgelj

Senior Member
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Mohicanish
I did have an momentarily lapse of judgement with my slicer and my right index finger is missing some skin. Dumb fugger.